According to state media, Russia has now produced the first “Poseidon” – a radioactive underwater torpedo.Image: Pool Sputnik Kremlin/AP / Mikhail Klimentyev
war in Ukraine
Russia has produced a first series of Poseidon torpedoes, according to state media. Observers call it a “doomsday drone” and consider it one of the “most inhumane weapons”.
Salome Woerlen / watson.ch
What is the status of production?
Russia has produced a first series of Poseidon torpedoes, reports Russian state media this week, citing a source close to the Russian military. The underwater weapons designed to create radioactive, tsunami-like waves would soon be sent to the Belgorod submarine. Belgorod is the world’s largest submarine and the first carrier of underwater nuclear torpedoes.
Launch tests with dummy Poseidon were completed on this, the Russian state news agency reported “TASS” already last week. The aim of the tests was “to check the operation of the Poseidon launch system”. That was successful. For this purpose, dummies of Poseidon were exposed at different depths.
The submarine was handed over to the Navy last July for experimental use by the Northern Fleet. The Khabarovsk submarine is still under construction and will ultimately serve as a fixed platform for the Poseidon weapons.
After the throwing tests, it was said this week that the tests of the main weapon components of the Poseidon weapon were also completed. The nuclear power unit, which supplies the torpedo with its own energy source, was also checked.
The Poseidon torpedo is an unmanned underwater weapon that Russians say can trigger tsunamis and irradiate vast areas for decades.Image: screenshot: youtube/megaprojects
At the nuclear torpedoes will be in Russia been tinkering for years. The first images of the Poseidon weapon were already leaked in 2015, but the construction of the weapon was only officially confirmed three years later by Kremlin boss Putin.
What can the gun do?
In his 2018 announcement speech, Putin emphasized that no weapon exists that can stop or destroy the nuclear torpedo:
“They are very quiet, have high maneuverability and are practically indestructible for the enemy. Today there is no weapon in the world that can oppose them.”
The weapon was designed primarily for attacks on aircraft carriers and land installations. According to Russian data, the unmanned torpedo can descend to a depth of 1,000 meters and cover thousands of kilometers at a speed of 200 km/h. However, this statement is doubted by various experts.
The nuclear warheads can reach an explosive force of up to 100 megatons. For comparison: The atomic bomb, which of the USA dropped on Hiroshima had a yield of between 12 and 16 kilotons.
The explosive power of the Poseidon torpedo could irradiate the ocean and coasts of a continent for decades and make them uninhabitable. “The Insiders” dubbed Poseidon as one of the most inhuman and terrifying nuclear weapons ever developed after Putin’s announcement.
The atomic bomb is considered the highest escalation so far.Image: A0009_dpa / dpa
Nuclear expert Stephen Schwartz told the magazine back thenthat nuclear weapons would only produce significant amounts of radioactive atomic dust if detonated in, near or underground. Because in these types of nuclear explosions, earth or water would be sucked up, contaminated with the debris from the bomb, and then thrown into the atmosphere. As a result, the deadly, radioactive atomic dust could be scattered over thousands of kilometers, Schwartz continued. If the Poseidon weapon is not detonated in too deep water, it can achieve exactly this effect. She is also able to trigger a tsunami wave.
This is exactly what was boasted about on Russian television last year:
“The explosion of this thermonuclear torpedo off the coast of Britain would cause a gigantic tsunami wave of up to 500 meters. It also brings with it extreme doses of radiation. If they sweep across the British Isles, what’s left of them will be destroyed in be turned into a radioactive desert.”
When is the Poseidon weapon operational?
The big question now is: When would the Poseidon torpedoes be ready for action?
Moscow has been leaking information about Poseidon’s development status for years. The project lives mainly from all the uncertainty and speculation, says Ina Holst-Pedersen Kvam, a researcher at the Norwegian Naval Academy “The Barents Observer”. The Poseidon is primarily a psychological weapon. However, according to the researcher, it is still too early to make a judgment about the actual development status of the weapon.
According to Holst-Pedersen Kvam, the fact that the tests with the Belogrod submarine were only carried out with dummy Poseidon made sense from a Russian point of view. Even if the Belgorod’s technical capabilities were mature enough, the Russian armed forces might still have wanted to keep the available prototypes.
A live ammunition test would then likely take place at a time when the potential deterrent effect was most needed. Without such tests, however, it is not possible to assess the full damage potential of the nuclear torpedo.
The Poseidon weapon is unlikely to be operational any time soon. The first deliveries are planned for 2027 at the earliest. However, Holst-Pedersen Kvam doubts that and is likely to annoy Putin with her assessment:
“If the track record of Russia’s notoriously underperforming industrial-military complex is any indication, Poseidon will likely not reach full operational capability until much later.”
For believers, the church is a sacred place. Most probably treat the priests with respect. After all, they are men of God.
